


Coldness

by Ilyasviel



Series: Mass Effect Writing Circle [6]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Feels, Fluff and Smut, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 23:09:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12641193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyasviel/pseuds/Ilyasviel
Summary: Shepard is down there, planetside, trying to convince an ancient creature to join them in their battle against the Reapers. But the lack of communications, the knowledge that they are on their own without any chance to help them thanks to the defence system of the Leviathan... Damn, James has time enough to worry about her and the feelings he is trying to hide from her and himself. But when she comes back, everything is different...





	Coldness

**Author's Note:**

> Another prompt wrote during the Mass Effect Writer Circle! 
> 
> Prompt: "I thought I might have lost you" for Shega or Shoker
> 
> This one was sent to me by the lovely @Vorcha_girl! Thank you! Hope you like it ;)
> 
> No hard editing on this one ;) all the typos are mine to bear! Be kind with this non-English speaker hahaha Let me know if you find anything awful that I can correct ^^ and tell me what you think about it! I love my Shega :P

The sound of someone pacing inside the empty cargo bay is the only one that can be heard besides the humming of the Normandy. How long have they been on that gods-forsaken planet? James has tried to distract himself when they have landed on the wreckage... If whatever Cortez has been forced to execute can be called land. He has been with Joker when everything went south. The voice of Cortez screaming that something had hit the shuttle filling the cockpit and making James, Garrus and Joker look with big eyes to the screens in front of the pilot. The communication with the shuttle was lost seconds later that. The only thing that keeps their worries at bay is the little feedback they can have from EDI's platform down there. No audio and no video, but she sends short messages to Joker from time to time. When the one saying Shepard will use a Triton to make the descent to the deeps. James got enough and left the cockpit without a single word to the other two.

 

The shuttle bay is pretty empty without the Zodiak and Esteban working on it. The first hour after leaving the cockpit, he uses it to clean his weapons. In the next one, he cleans Lola's ones, all of them.  When almost three hours have passed, and they didn't have any news, good or bad, he begins to panic. James Vega didn't pace, didn't fidget... and now he is, walking side to side of the bay, fingers playing with the dog tags on his chest. When he thinks he can't deal with the situation a single minute more, a message beeps in his omnitool, _'They are coming back. Shepard will need to pay a visit to Chackwas, but everything seems to be alright.'_ Luckily for him and his pride, no one was there to hear the groan he makes at the same time he hits the wall of his cubicle. Returning to his bunk, he sits on it, massaging his temples with a hand, trying to calm himself. He is no good for the team if he can't keep his heart away from her, from her decisions. She is the damned Commander Shepard. If someone can pull all the strings, dodge every bullet, solve any problem, is her. But his heart is a stupid one and has to choose to fall head over toes for her in the worse moment ever. The sound of the cargo door opening breaks his train of thoughts, and he takes a deep breath while moving outside of the cubicle to wait for the shuttle.

 

He stops breathing, heart hammering inside of his chest when he sees how battered is the shuttle. Burns from weapons shot scratches around the doors and a big one in the back. When the door opens, he runs there, catching Shepard from Tali and EDI's arms. She is trembling, like in a fever, and a dried trail of blood falls from her nose. "Lola... what have you done this time?"

 

When James sees that she has troubles to stay on her feet, he catches her, princess' style,  and moves directly to the elevator, with Tali and EDI behind him. She snuggles with his neck, hands grabbing his shirt. He can feel the coldness she emits even through the material of her armour. Leaning against the wall of the elevator, he changes her position, making her wrap her body around him, legs on the waist and arms around the shoulders, while he keeps her in place with an arm on her hips and another on her back. Tali pushes the crew deck controls, and soon, the door open and Chakwas is already there, waiting for them. The doctor just beckons at him with the head, and he follows her, losing EDI and Tali on the way. 

 

Chakwas signals one of the gurneys, and he makes Shepard sit on it, but she didn't let him go when he tries to move away, muttering something about the cold and how warm he is.  The doctor chuckles behind them before moving to a cabinet and recovering a thermal blanket. "Commander, I need to take off your armour and check-up your body." When the woman just hides her face in James' neck, the doctor laughs openly. "Don't worry, I will let him help, and you can snuggle with him without your armour when we finish. Deal?" 

 

When her only answer is a little grunt, James didn't know what to do, but then she pushes him away slightly, beginning to work in the closings of her armour with trembling fingers. He pushes her hands away, taking each piece in hand and opening the different closings on them. He didn't know what happened to her down there, but some of the closings of the armour feel almost fussed, and he needs to use his omnitool to force them to open. At last, she is in her under armour, shivering even worse than before. Chakwas tries to work as quickly as possible, scanning her in less than a minute and giving James a nod when he can cover her with the thermal blanket while she examines the results. She keeps shivering hard, and he sits on the gurney with her, letting her curl up against him and hugging her body. The good doctor takes a look at them, hiding the little grin on her face behind the datapad in her hands, a plan already formed in her brain. "Well, Commander. You are as lucky as ever. No permanent damage has been done, but you need to recover your temperature. The most secure way to do it is with a very hot bath, which is outside of our reach. Well, have to work with the second best option, sharing body heat until yours is inside the parameters again. Lieutenant, do you mind?"

 

The question catches him by surprise, and he answers _'yes'_ without thinking.

 

The doctor prepares a pair of shots for Shepard, and James has to force her hand outside the blanket and keep it steady while the doctor works. Once done, she moves away from the gurney, patting Shepard's back before walking away.  "Take her to her quarters, Lieutenant, and keep her warm, cheeking her temperature each hour. If she goes down 95, bring her here. Until then, she is under your care."

 

Between shattering teeth, Shepard disentangles her head enough to look at the doctor with a deep frown on her face. "I don't need a nanny, Chakwas."

 

"And you will not have a nanny. Think of it as a personal heater. Now shush, and leave my med bay. I don't want to see you here for the next day, if possible." 

 

James didn't need to look into her face to know that she is rolling her eyes. "Come on, Lola. I don't want to awaken the wrath of the doctor." He grabs her again, the same way as before, but now, without the armour, the feeling is different. The shivering is more pronounced, but the feeling of her body against him, with the thin material of her under armour and his shirt as the only barrier... Damn, she will have a veritable furnace for when they reach her quarters. 

 

By the time he puts her down on her bed, the trembling has subsided slightly, and she lets him go reluctantly while he moves around the room, getting some hot coffee ready on the coffeemaker she had on the upper desktop. He adds some cognac to it before returning to the bed. Her shivering hands have problems to catch the mug without spilling anything, and he takes a deep breath before moving to the head of the bed, putting the steaming cup in the bedstand before sitting, taking off his boots. He leans his back against the headboard, "Come here, I'll help you to drink the coffee." She crawls over the bed, the blanket falling from her back midway and she grabs it in hand before reaching Vega. He opens his legs to make room for her, and she curls up in his chest gladly. Once settled, he covers her with the blanket before picking up the mug and helping her to take little sips from it. 

 

They didn't say a word for almost half an hour, and even Shepard and her frozen mind knows that something is bothering him. "Hey, Jimmy." Her voice sounds ragged, but at least her trembling is occasional. "Something on your mind?"

 

The hand he has around her waist tightens the grip, making her turns her face to look at him. "I thought I might have lost you." When she tries to talk, he shakes his head, silencing her reply, for now. 

 

Shepard finishes her coffee, putting the mug away, and feeling the warm feeling of it, mixed with the cognac, heating her insides. She still feels cold, but not as much as before. Her limbs have recovered the sensibility, and her brain is beginning to work properly again. Turning slightly to rest her side on Vega's chest, she raises a hand to cup his face. "I'm sorry, James. But you know it is my work. Someone has to save the day, huh?"

 

His eyes close at her touch, breath catching in his chest when she talks. "I know. It's just-- After the Citadel, after everything... I--I can't lose you."

 

A big smile appears on Shepard's face, and even in her tired state, she feels a new kind of warm growing inside of her. Pushing herself away from him just enough to kneel in front of him, she leans her hands on his chest. "It took you long enough, Jimmy." His surprised look just makes her smile, and she closes the distance to him, stopping close enough to share his breath, lips ghosting over his mouth. "Now, Vega, I'm gonna kiss you until you can't remember your name, so please, stop me now if you--" 

 

Her words are cut by him sealing their lips in a searing kiss. James catches her by surprise, but her brain just needs a couple of seconds to understand that _'he'_ is kissing her. Not just kissing her, but devouring her with a passion she never dreamed about. The movement of his hand up her back until his long fingers get lost in the sea of red hair, nails scratching her nape, makes her gasp, and he seizes the moment, tilting her head to give him better access to her mouth while his tongue delves inside of it. The wanton moans that escape her control will make her feel ashamed in any other situation, but with him... With him, she just can be herself and show him any tiny part of the real Jane. The kiss grew in passion, tongues dancing while their hands begin to roam lower and lower, until she is slipping her fingers under the hem of his shirt, touching at last what she has been craving for, and his free hand moulded itself with the curve of her butt. The temperature is rising under the blanket covering Shepard's body, and she breaks the kiss, panting like she has been running. Straightening her back while she catches her breath, she lets the blanket slip from her body, looking at James' eyes with a lopsided grin on her face. "Mister Vega..." Her fingers tremble a lot lesser than before, and she is sure that the actual trembling is more from her eagerness than the cold. Catching the zipper of her under armour, she begins to pull it down, creamy skin appearing in front of James' eyes. "I believe you have a direct order to check my temperature."

 

The growl leaving James' chest makes her giggle, but it got cut into a gasp when he pushes her down to the bed, pinning her arms over the head and kissing her senseless again. Pulling away enough to let her talk, he keeps her wrists under control while his hips, and the prominent bulge of his excitement, keep her body still under him. "Any advice for the measurement method, Lola?"

 

Testing the waters of his grip, Shepard finds herself totally immobilised under him, and the thought turns her on more than she ever expected. But her proud brain always wants to have the last word, and this situation will not be different. Raising her legs, she wraps them around his waist, moving her hips in little circles, pushing her core against his hardened member and making him hiss. "Internal measurements, Lieutenant. Doc's orders."

 

Her chuckle gets lost in his animal growl. James falls again over her, his weight pushing the limits of her resistance. His tongue didn't wait for a single heartbeat before sliding inside her mouth, fighting for dominance with hers. He lets her wrists go, moving to grab her body with both hands before rolling to lay on his back, her on top, mouths still connected. Feeling free, she pushes up, straddling his hips with her hands resting on his pectorals. She looks beautiful, with the fiery hair surrounding her face, reddened lips and breathing hard thanks to his ministrations. His fingers find the way to her waist, while he bores his gaze in her green eyes. "Lend me

a hand there, Lola, or I will rip those clothes from your body."

 

The thought of him ripping off the material from her body makes her shiver, and he sees it, his mouth twitching up at her reaction. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction, she straightens her back, making sure that her core is resting precisely on his cock, causing him to gasp with every tiny movement of her body. She is not immune to the situation, obviously, but she can wait... With slow movements, she unzips the upper piece of her under armour completely, pushing each part down her arms. The discarded piece of clothing falls over James' legs while she works on the closings of her bra, opening it and letting it slide over her arms and end on James' abs. The wicked smile on her face wasn't enough warning for him, and he moans wantonly when her little hands move to cup her own breasts, hardened nipple pinched between fingers. Siting up in a quick movement, James captures her hands, moving them behind her back and keeping it there, forcing her body to arch. Reaching for the breast, he uses the tip of his tongue to lavish a nipple, pushing it up and down, circling it, before letting his mouth capture it, sucking and nipping, enjoying the little moans he is eliciting from her. Changing to the other nipple, he begins to work in the closings of her trousers, opening the button and the zip while she witters under his ministrations. His mouth travels up her sternum, leaving a trail of goosebumps whenever he plants a kiss or gives a little nip until he reaches her neck. "Damn, Lola. So hot..."

 

Her hands are still pressed against her lower back, but she still has the control of her hips and legs, and she uses them, rubbing herself against his hardness, making them gasp at the feeling. "James, please... Fuck me! I want to scream your name loud enough for Joker to hear it."

 

James' brain stops working after those words, and his animalistic side takes control of the situation. Pushing her down to the bed, he lets her arms go, just to have the control of his own hands to grab her last piece of garment and pull it off of her body, ripping some seams in his haste. The undies didn't even survive his onslaught. In a matter of seconds, Shepard likes naked in front of him, while he is still completely clothed. Her usually green eyes have turned into a pool of darkness, excitement written plainly in her features with every tiny gasp, every heated gaze. He needs to be inside of her, more than anything. The craving for her is like a clutch on his heart, making him have troubles to breathe, to think.  He takes off the shirt, enjoying the appreciative hum she makes when his body is on full display for her. Next is his belt, which falls unceremoniously on the bed before slipping from it and landing on the floor with a metallic thud. Opening the trousers, he lowers them enough to free his aching member, giving it a couple of strokes before lowering himself, the tip of it gracing the heated core of his Commander. "Lola... I promise the next time, if we have a next time, I will worship you as you deserve, but now..." He begins to push inside of her. The hot and silky walls around him making him lost the ability to talk, turning him in a shivering and gasping mess. She isn't in a better state, her moans mixing with some swears. James feels like he has died and gone to heaven once he sheathes himself to the hilt. They stay just like that for several seconds, he tries to control his urges, she getting ready for them, both panting and sharing their breathes while their foreheads touch. 

 

She finally got enough, raising one of her legs and capturing the knee with an arm, changing the angle of her hips and making them shudder. "I waited months for you to make a move, James. Don't make me wait anymore."

 

Her words break him again, and he grabs the headboard with one hand while he keeps her hips in place with the other. "You will be the death of me, Lola." His cock slides from her in a maddeningly slow pace, making her mewl, but then he comes back with force, in a quick and hard movement, making her head fall back, eyes closed, and moan loud enough to be heard across the ship. He feels so proud of himself. Proud of being the one that makes the mighty Commander fell apart, to elicit from her that kind of slutty sounds that make his blood boil. With a new purpose fixed in his brain, he positions himself better before beginning to pump in and out of her, his words a ragged joke of his usual tone, "Scream for me, Lola."

 

James knows he can't keep this pace for long, but the pulsing on her walls is a good sign that she is enjoying it too, and he prays to all the gods out there to let her come first. The mixed feelings of her body under him, her voice and the heat of her core is destroying his control, and he can feel his balls getting ready to unload. "Come on, Jane, come for me, let me feel you." His voice seems to do the trick, and she clutches his shoulder with force enough to scratch him, making him shudder, but the feeling is soon forgotten. The clenching walls of her sex are milking him, coaxing him to come, while she really screams his name to the stars. He follows her soon enough, burying himself as deep as possible before feeling the orgasm hit him. The pulsing of his member inside of her, the feeling of his hot seed filling her body, just makes her own pleasure extend. 

 

They remain like this for several minutes, recovering their breath and sharing the heat, until a little shiver on her body makes James wake up. He slides off from her, making her whine to the loss, before standing from the bed and going to the bathroom, where he cleans himself and searches for a package of wet wipes. Returning to the bed, he cleans her with them, tossing the dirty ones to the ground before laying back with her and covering them with the blankets. She sighs happily, cuddling with him and getting as much as heat as possible from his big frame. Silence is like a lullaby for them until her little giggle distracts him. Raising his head, he finds her covering her mouth with a hand, hiding a grin. When she sees him watching her, she just shrugs, turning to look at him with a mischievous grin. "I think you measured my inner temperature pretty well, Lieutenant. The doctor will be happy with your performance."

 

James laughs with her, kissing her temple before returning to his original position, whispering to her hair. "Well, remember that she said I need to measure you every hour..."

 

Her gasp and his chuckle is the last sound they made until an hour later when James fulfil his orders to the letter.


End file.
